


love me right

by extensive_scribe



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Sehun's the softest lil boy i love him so much, child!Oh Sehun, fluffy fluff fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-24
Updated: 2019-06-24
Packaged: 2020-05-18 19:51:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,601
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19341445
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/extensive_scribe/pseuds/extensive_scribe
Summary: Baekhyun moves to another part of town when the opportunity comes, attracted by the cheap price and easy commute to university. What he wasn't expecting was to find the most adorable little boy and a similarly endearing father.





	love me right

**Author's Note:**

  * For [chanyeoloving](https://archiveofourown.org/users/chanyeoloving/gifts).
  * Inspired by [A Lot like Love and Loey](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16791604) by [chanyeoloving](https://archiveofourown.org/users/chanyeoloving/pseuds/chanyeoloving). 



> Someone pointing this out in the comments that this looked incredibly familiar and to those who thought it did - this was inspired by A Lot Like Love and Loey, which I've already put in my notes.
> 
> However, this is also an edited version of my previous fic with the exact same name and plot. I published, then unpublished, and then republished this fic after a lot of editing.

“Sehun, honey, you’ll catch a cold.”

Chanyeol sighs when Sehun makes no sign of moving away from the window seat, the four year old snuggling into his blankets all the more at his father’s words.

“Sehun.”

“No.”

“Sweetheart, you’re going to get sick.” Sehun interrupts him with a well-placed sniffle, and Chanyeol grimaces. “See, you’re already sniffling from the cold.”

“But Mister Puppy is there,” Sehun says, pointing out the window with chubby fingers. “He’s always there when it’s snowing.”

Chanyeol closes his eyes briefly, finally admitting defeat. It seems he won’t be getting the seven hours of sleep he’d hoped for, not today. He should have expected it ever since the first few flakes of snow, honestly. He ambles his way over to Sehun, crouching so he’s on eye level with the boy. “Yeah? Mister Puppy?”

Sure enough, there’s a silhouette of a person that stands against the white background of the night, and if Chanyeol squints, he can just barely make out their features as they bring their hands to their mouth, raising their head to stare up at the sky.

Not like there’s much to see, anyway - the heavens are filled with the clouds that are currently bathing the world in soft, glinting white, not a hint of stars. And yet, the person keeps staring.

“I don’t suppose you’re satisfied just by staring at him,” Chanyeol says, a bit too hopefully, and knows that he’s just jinxed himself when Sehun hops down from the window with a giddy little laugh and drags his fluffy, thick quilt all over their living room floor as he makes for the door.

“We have to see Mister Puppy,” Sehun declares loudly, and Chanyeol sighs.

Of course.

\-----

Mister Puppy is wearing glasses this time, Chanyeol notices. Round, big, thin-rimmed glasses that glint under the streetlamps. His cheeks are a bit flushed from the cold, his button nose scrunching as he sniffles, but his droopy eyes are still focused on the sky above him, not even noticing Chanyeol and Sehun until Sehun makes an impatient noise at Chanyeol’s slow walk and makes grabby gestures towards him.

He turns towards them and smiles, his gaze barely even reaching Chanyeol but softening at the sight of his son, reaching to take Sehun from Chanyeol’s arms when they’re close enough. Chanyeol watches with wary eyes.

“How have you been, my little prince,” Mister Puppy says, booping Sehun’s little nose with his own, giving him soft, chaste Eskimo kisses as Sehun laughs in delight. “Doing well in nursery school?” At Sehun’s enthusiastic nods, Puppy laughs, soft tinkling bells fitting perfectly with the snow around them.

“Listening to your father, I hope,” he muses as well, looking at Chanyeol for the first time that night, teasing glint in his eyes. “Did you drag him out here to see me?”

Sehun only nods. “Saw you in the snow, Mister Puppy.” The man laughs at the nickname. “You looked cold.” At this, Sehun looks to Chanyeol as if giving him a cue, and smiles widely when Chanyeol sighs and offers Puppy the woolen scarf he’d tucked into his arm as they left the house.

It’s a dark red, matching with Puppy’s beige-black outfit, and Chanyeol frowns as he wraps the scarf around his neck for him, Puppy’s arms still full with a bright, giggling four year old child.

“You really wear the thinnest possible jackets when it's negative three degrees outside,” Chanyeol chides softly, tired and sleepy. Puppy blinks owlishly at him, like he has no idea what Chanyeol’s talking about, and Chanyeol just ruffles his soft, snow-touched black hair.

He shouldn’t really be this comfortable with a stranger he doesn’t even know the name of. But Sehun had fallen head over heels for this man ever since he moved to this part of Seoul two months ago, and it had become a tradition of sorts - to come out and stay with this man they barely knew late into the night whenever Sehun managed to catch a glimpse of him through their living room window. And they had just… kept at it.

Said man just tilts his head. “I’m not cold,” he says, even as a shiver runs through his body and contradicts his words. His eyes narrow in displeasure and mouth goes down in a pout, convincing Chanyeol well enough that he’s both cold and too adorable for his brain to process this late, but then Sehun wraps his little arms around Puppy, leaning his head to the man's neck only to be pillowed by the red woolen scarf, and Puppy’s expression softens impossibly as he smiles down at the boy. Chanyeol wisely says nothing about his lie.

“You should take better care of yourself so you don’t get sick,” he says instead, glancing down beside him to see Puppy’s soft, sleepy brown eyes blinking slowly, lashes flickering with snow. “Sehun was worried when we didn’t see you all last week.”

Puppy looks up at him in slight surprise. “Was he? How’d you know I was sick?”

Chanyeol gives him a wry little smile. “Mrs. Kim,” he answers, and Puppy makes a small noise of understanding.

Silence falls on them, for a while. The only sounds are of Sehun breathing softly against Puppy’s neck, obviously sleeping. Chanyeol watches the snow for a while, then the man next to him, watches him smile down at Sehun so gently and brush his son’s hair out of his eyes.

“You should go inside now,” Puppy says eventually, long, pretty fingers drawing soft patterns into Sehun’s hair. “He shouldn’t be sleeping outside in the cold.”

“You shouldn’t be out here in a denim jacket and jeans,” Chanyeol counters, but takes Sehun from the man when Puppy gently hands the boy over. Puppy only smiles at him.

“I’ll be fine.”

 

  
Chanyeol leaves Sehun in the care of Junmyeon and Yifan today while he works, both of whom are young university professors. They always tease him about Puppy on days like this, when they know it’s snowed the day before - because as much as Chanyeol and Sehun go to see Puppy just by chance, it’s just _tradition_ on snowy nights. Something they never miss, hadn’t missed the previous ten or so nights when the heavens rained down soft blankets of ice.

“So,” Yifan says, mirth evident in his tone, even as his bored expression attempts a different truth, “you still don’t know his name.”

Chanyeol sighs. “We’ve gone over this.”

It’s one of their common free periods, a time Junmyeon and Yifan usually keep for themselves, but Kyungsoo had been busy today and Chanyeol hadn’t had anyone else to ask to take care of his son for him. They’d met in a university cafe near where Junmyeon and Yifan both teach, one where Jongin and Luhan conveniently work at so they can sneak Sehun little cakes when they think Chanyeol isn’t watching, giggling behind the counter like children.

Chanyeol tears his gaze away from them to meet Junmyeon’s questioning one. “It’s been two months,” Junmyeon says, almost incredulous.

Chanyeol knows. He knows this, and also knows that he could easily find out the man’s name just by asking Mrs. Kim or a few of their neighbors, but he can’t ever make himself. He doesn’t know how to put the feeling into words, so he shrugs as an attempt at an answer, distracting himself with Sehun as the boy tries cramming pieces of chocolate cake into his mouth.

It’s precious, what they have. Despite the younger boy’s obviously exaggerated annoyance at Chanyeol’s chiding and scolding, Chanyeol hasn’t missed the smiles he tries to hide, the softness in his eyes that mirror the look in Chanyeol’s own gaze.

He wants to hear it from him, with the assurance that the information is coming with trust and a willingness to bring their strange friendship a bit further. Chanyeol doesn’t have the best track record with relationships, Sehun is enough proof of that. He doesn’t need someone else breaking his heart.

 

  
“I could tell you my name,” Baekhyun says one night, just to see how Loey would respond, and he reacts as he'd thought the man would - sputtering and choking as Sehun reaches up in worry for his father.

“What - are you joking -”

“Kim Jongdae,” Baekhyun interrupts, and watches as Loey's face contorts into a million different expressions before the man gapes at him with a scandalized little gasp.

“I know that's your best friend, you -”

“Shame,” Baekhyun sighs, stretching his arms and legs out. “I really thought it'd work.”

 

  
Baekhyun isn't used to getting _attention_. At least, not beyond the stage. He’s used to the type he gets when he’s on the stage. The bright lights and the soft hush when he starts singing, the gaze of hundreds all on him as he begins his melody.

But this. The late night meetings, the warmth, the seeking out - this is new. He's never been cared for in this way before, and never had he imagined that the comfort he’d only ever seen in movies and dramas would have come in the form of two beautiful strangers, one he still doesn’t know the name of.

“You should really ask him for his name,” Minseok says, disapproval all over his expression and dripping from his words, as he smoothly slides into one of the table seats across Baekhyun. He’d come with Jongdae, who thankfully doesn’t have the same disappointed expression on his face - instead his best friend is visibly more cheerful, smiling and laughing at Minseok softly as he tells his boyfriend to give Baekhyun a break.

“Why do you call him Loey anyway?” Minseok asks, ignoring Jongdae completely. He seems genuinely confused about this, and Baekhyun laughs. This is easier to answer.

“His son calls him that. I’m not sure if it’s a nickname or his real name, though.”

Jongdae coos. “That’s adorable.”

 

  
Chanyeol sees him as he's walking down the street to his apartment, realizing with a frown that Puppy is already there, at two o'clock, the sky bright and the moon not even up yet.

He's wearing practically nothing, despite the bitter, bitter cold - a sweater that clings to his slight frame and black skinny jeans. But something's different today, and Chanyeol catches this as soon as he gets closer to the man, sees exhausted blank eyes staring at emptiness beyond them. He's not even shivering, which is strange, and Chanyeol realizes with a drop in his stomach that he looks incredibly like a lost man, blank expression and limp figure.

“Hey,” Chanyeol starts, taking his hand out of the warmth and comfort of his jacket pocket, “what are you doing? Don't you have classes?”

Puppy looks at him briefly, but nothing flickers in his eyes, no recognition, no fond annoyance like the countless times they've met before. He turns away without a word, blinking blearily, and Chanyeol doesn't know if he should be scared or worried. His head is a confusing mix of both.

“What's wrong,” he panics, almost reaching out to grasp Puppy's arm but refraining at the last moment. He's not good with these situations - not when it's with adults, children he can comfort but what can he do for a grown man?

Puppy only now actually looks at him, confusion clouding his droopy eyes before he blinks, tilting his head. “What?”

“You,” Chanyeol stammers, wondering what the hell he’d been so worried for, “Aren’t you upset? You didn’t even recognize me!”

“Oh.” Is Puppy’s only response, and Chanyeol frowns, tempted to kick himself. He’s sure he looked like a fool. “Sorry, I was daydreaming.”

Chanyeol wonders just what it is that’s going through Puppy’s head to make him look like this, aloof and cold. It’s an expression that he’s never seen on the smaller before, something that seems foreign, almost _wrong_ on his soft, gentle face. He’d always seen Puppy as shades of gold and soft warm hues, but the gray disposition right now throws him off and leaves him feeling confused, anxious.

“What’s wrong,” he asks again, softer this time, and Puppy turns to glare up at him. The scowl fades almost immediately, though, and Puppy musses his hair frustratedly with a hand, making Chanyeol stare at his long, elegant fingers for longer than necessary. Puppy doesn’t notice.

“My brother’s getting married.”

Chanyeol blanks.

“What?”

Puppy glares at him again, as if he’d expected Chanyeol to understand just by that one phrase, and this time, the expression stays longer. “Don’t make me repeat myself.”

Chanyeol is utterly confused. “Wait, he’s getting married - shouldn’t you be happy for him?”

“I am.” A pout, now. “I just… I was invited to his wedding, but it means I’ll see my family.”

 _Oh_.

Chanyeol knows that tone.

He’s heard it before, from Kyungsoo, from Junmyeon, Yifan, and he recognizes the same pain in the younger boy’s eyes.

He has no idea what the situation is with Puppy, but Chanyeol knows just from his voice, the gentle regret pooling in his eyes that he’s had problems with blood relatives, and he wants to hug the smaller, suddenly. Embrace him from the too-cold weather while he has the chance.

He shoves the thought down violently.

_Not now._

 

  
Baekhyun almost stabs his eye out with his pencil.

“What the fuck are you doing here?”

Why, oh _why_ did this have to happen on the one day Baekhyun had come to the cafe without Jongdae or Minseok with him?

His words are met with a remorseful wince, but Baekhyun isn’t falling for it anymore. He glares up at Doyoon with as much malice he can muster, ignoring the little tug on his heart from seeing the man and the knowledge that with his messy hair and soft sweater, he probably looks the last thing from threatening right now. It’s been two years, a part of him screams inside. He shouldn’t have this reaction to Doyoon.

Doyoon sighs softly, fidgeting with the hem of his shirt. Baekhyun knows for sure that he’s gotten over him, but it isn’t Doyoon that’s making him this upset, it’s the memories his face brings - all those times Baekhyun let himself get hurt over and over by someone who clearly didn’t care much for him. Why had he been so stupid?

“Baekhyun, I just wanted to talk,” Doyoon says, voice quiet, careful.

“How did you even find me,” Baekhyun spits at him. “Still want to use me for something?”

Doyoon frowns, the expression marring his features in an ugly grimace. “Baekhyun,” and he sounds angry. Long ago, Baekhyun had thought it was because he was offended that Baekhyun thought so lowly of him, but it’s been just as long since he realized it was merely because Doyoon was afraid that Baekhyun’s accusations would affect his image badly. Baekhyun wants to get away from him immediately, wants to pretend he hasn’t seen him at all and go on with his life. His past relationships had all ended badly but the one with Doyoon was just disastrous, and even if he’s gotten over the breakup itself, he isn’t over the pain that it brought him.

Either by his prayers or by pure luck, something runs into his legs exactly then, followed by desperate calls at a distance away. Baekhyun looks down to see Sehun.

“Puppy!” The boy exclaims, and Doyoon looks just as confused as Baekhyun feels.

“Where did you get a child?” Doyoon asks, bewildered, as he watches Baekhyun lift Sehun into his arms. Baekhyun ignores him.

Booping Sehun’s nose, Baekhyun smiles, brushing his hair away from his eyes. “You got heavier,” he says, laughing when Sehun giggles. “Did you leave your daddy behind you?”

“I’m so sorry,” Loey says, and he’s panting when he reaches them. Doyoon looks between all of them at least a few times in confused circles before he seems to catch on, and his eyes spark almost dangerously. “I told you not to interrupt because you seemed to be busy but -”

“We were,” Doyoon interrupts him, tone almost venomous. Baekhyun would have punched him if not for the child in his arms. “So do you mind leaving?”

Loey looks to Baekhyun in a mixture of surprise and confusion, and Baekhyun seethes silently but manages to keep his expression blank. He doesn’t want Sehun to witness any more of this. Leaning up to Loey, he grabs the older man’s wrist, pulling him down slightly to graze his mouth near Loey’s ear.

“Please just go along with this,” he whispers lowly, before turning back to Doyoon and giving him a cold smile. “I think you’re the one who should leave.”

Loey’s only seen the last few minutes of their exchange but he seems to recognize the situation for what it is quickly enough, an arm coming around to rest on Baekhyun’s waist warmly and pulling him closer. “What’s wrong? I thought this was a friend.”

Doyoon’s expression goes through a myriad of different emotions until he settles on a bitter look, glaring up at Loey. But Loey doesn’t give him a chance to do anything, as he takes the book on the table Baekhyun had been sitting at and hands him his bag. A soft smile takes over his lips, gentle and reassuring, and Baekhyun manages to swallow the last of his nerves. He follows Loey out the door and makes it to the end of the block before he buries his head into Sehun’s shoulder.

Sehun, bless his heart and existence, wraps his tiny arms around Baekhyun, turning in his grip to let Baekhyun hide his face.

Distantly, Baekhyun realizes that Loey’s hand is still on his waist, a warm, comforting weight. He allows himself the moment of support when Loey’s other arm comes up to squeeze his shoulder even though the whole interaction with Doyoon just served to remind him again that nothing can be guaranteed in a relationship. And it won’t be any different with Loey, no matter how kind and thoughtful he is.

“Are you alright?” Loey asks.

Baekhyun smiles up at him but it feels forced, fake. “Yes. Thank you.”

 

  
“Should you be doing this behind his back,” Chanyeol deadpans, tired eyes flitting over Jongdae’s small frame as the young boy bounces on the balls of his feet.

“His older brother adores you,” Jongdae pleads. “I’ve told him about you once and he already wants to see who managed to make his baby brother so interested.”

Chanyeol’s ears flush red all the way to the tips as he struggles to process Jongdae’s words, but he isn’t convinced. “I’m a stranger,” Chanyeol protests, making Jongdae pout. He and Puppy are really so similar sometimes. “He doesn’t know me, and weddings are for friends and family only.”

“The friend of a friend is a friend,” Jongdae rolls his eyes. “Besides, he’d want you there too.”

“Who?”

Chanyeol sighs when Jongdae just gives him a flat look to that. “You know who,” Jongdae whines loudly. “Just - it’s only a few hours. Baekbeom and his wife aren’t the type for long traditional weddings. And it’s kid-friendly, too! You can bring Sehun!”

Chanyeol wonders where and how his life had gone wrong for him to feel as if he was taking care of not one, but three children all at once. He stares at Jongdae blankly as he ponders, but the boy huffs out an aggravated breath and shoves the wedding invitation into his hands before Chanyeol can tell him no.

“I’ll see you then,” Jongdae says hurriedly, and rushes off, not giving Chanyeol the chance to throw the offending white gold envelope back at him.

 

  
Baekhyun notices Loey before the taller reaches him, this time. He wants to pretend it’s because he’d felt the man’s warm gaze on his back, but he knows that really, he’d just hoped that today would be one of those days.

“Sehun,” he murmurs softly as he reaches out for the already sleeping child, shivering when the cold of Sehun’s jacket padding bleeds through Baekhyun’s thin sweater. The material warms up soon enough, though, and Baekhyun cuddles Sehun closer to him, closing his eyes.

His vision is already dark from his closed lids, but the bright spots behind them get even darker as Baekhyun feels something get thrown over his head, a warm, heavy weight resting atop his hair.

“Wear a damn jacket once in a while,” Loey says from somewhere above him, tone gentle yet chastising, and Baekhyun feels like a child again as he fumbles to lift the hood out of his face while also trying not to drop the actual child in his arms.

Able to see again, he looks up to find Loey gazing down at him with hooded eyes, clearly tired, sleepiness written into his posture. Baekhyun pulls the man’s jacket tighter around himself, burrowing into the padded jacket, and tries to cover his flushed cheeks in the process.

“You’re gonna get cold.” His words are muffled into the fur of the coat, but Loey seems to understand.

“If you can bear it in thinner clothes than I’m wearing, I can too,” Loey shrugs, and Baekhyun tilts his head to watch him crouch in front of him and Sehun, brushing Sehun’s bangs out of his eyes.

Baekhyun accepts the answer and sinks further into Loey’s jacket. It’s big enough that it forms a cocoon around him, and he uses what’s left of the sleeves to wrap around Sehun and hopefully make it warmer for the boy.

“Are you alright?” Loey asks, watching him quietly. It takes a frankly embarrassing long time for Baekhyun to realize he’s talking about Doyoon.

“Yeah, now I am.”

Loey doesn’t look fully convinced, but he doesn’t press Baekhyun further, and for that he’s grateful. He’s already survived Minseok and Jongdae’s interrogations asking if Doyoon had done anything to threaten him, Luhan telling him that with one word he could track the bastard down and erase his existence. He doesn’t need to be grilled by Loey, too.

“You should take Sehun inside,” he whispers after a while, pressing a soft kiss to the back of the boy’s head, the scent of sweet shampoo filling his nose as he breathes into Sehun’s soft, soft hair. When he looks up, he sees that Loey is much closer than he’d been, and he inhales sharply, mouth opening without a coherent word.

“Sehun,” Baekhyun finally manages after gaping for a moment, and Loey seems to snap out of whatever daydream he’d been having, a light red traveling up his neck similar to Baekhyun.

“Yeah,” Loey forces out eventually, and Baekhyun says nothing as he watches the single father take Sehun back into his arms, standing, his scarf flowing around his neck. The man’s eyes soften when he looks back at Baekhyun, but he pretends not to notice, tries to convince himself that this is wishful thinking.

“Goodnight.”

 

  
Chanyeol’s in a strangely good mood today. So when he sees a familiar silhouette against the bench in front of the complex, he almost calls out instinctively before remembering Jongdae’s gentle warning that Puppy would probably not be in the best mood after meeting Doyoon.

“Mis -”

Chanyeol shushes Sehun frantically as he starts to call out, and Sehun, despite his confusion, quiets down with only a questioning look up at him. Upon closer inspection Chanyeol sees that Puppy has earbuds on and is probably listening to music, a sweet melody flowing from his lips with a small smile - soft notes dancing through the air as the wind carries his voice.

He’s truly a singer, Chanyeol realizes, his song both an imitation and a recreation of the music. He knows when to soften his tone, when to sing just a little louder, when to pour his emotions into the gentle harmony.

Without even realizing, Chanyeol’s body relaxes of all its tension, and Sehun seems to be mesmerized by the younger man’s singing as well, as he droops in Chanyeol’s arms and snuggles into his scarf.

“Yeah, it’s beautiful isn’t it,” he whispers, and Sehun nods up at him enthusiastically. “Let’s leave him alone for now. We’ll come back if it starts snowing.”

 

  
“At this point I think we all know that you're just afraid,” Jongdae drawls, swirling a small spoon in his coffee with a raised brow.

Baekhyun ignores him resolutely, turning back to the music sheets in front of him. “Minseok, come collect your boyfriend.”

Said man sighs from across the room, coming with the other two cups of coffee. Baekhyun takes his own with a grateful little noise, but the sip he takes from his mug is almost choked down his throat when Minseok sends him a look, says, “It’s not like he’s wrong.”

Jongdae grins at Baekhyun as he coughs to clear his windpipe. “See? I'm Minseok-approved.”

“Shut the fuck up,” Baekhyun pouts, taking a part of Jongdae’s sandwich with a scowl.

“He has a point,” Minseok says, though his voice has less of Jongdae’s smug undertones and more of something else - pity? “You’re just afraid of being too attached to him. Of people leaving, whether it’s you or him that leaves. Seeing Doyoon again just made it worse, didn’t it.”

Baekhyun falters in his next words, flinching, and Jongdae’s arrogant smile turns more gentle as he reaches out and grasps Baekhyun’s fingers in his. “Hey. We’re with you right now. We’re going to stay. You’re not alone in this.”

“Do you want to date me?” Luhan asks as he stops by their table with a flourish, effectively ruining the moment, and Baekhyun scowls. “You're cute, I'm cute, if we tried hard enough we could be the next campus couple.”

“Good luck beating those two,” Baekhyun says, rolling his eyes as Luhan drapes himself all over him and pointing at Jongdae and Minseok disdainfully, much to Jongdae's chagrin. “They're practically married already.”

“Look,” Jongdae starts, “just because Minseok calls me his wife -”

 

  
Chanyeol regrets his decision to come with Kyungsoo and Jongin to the aquarium.

He knows that Sehun loves sea creatures and loves open water even more, and it might have been reason enough to bear through the short trip if Jongin and Kyungsoo weren’t acting so much like a married couple. Which they are, but Chanyeol doesn’t think it’s fair for them to rub their happiness in his face when he’s miserable and single and doesn’t even know the name of the first person he’s been interested in over the past four years.

He can’t even find it in himself to tease them as he’d normally have done, tired from the long week at work and trying to find a suitable excuse to leave Sehun with his unofficial uncles and his baby cousin Soojin while Chanyeol goes home and sleeps.

Which is also when he sees Jongdae across the far end of the penguin exhibit they’re passing through at the moment, walking beside an attractive, slightly shorter man with cat eyes and a youthful face. He should have expected Jongdae to spot him.

“Loey,” Jongdae exclaims, voice loud enough to spread to them and turn other heads, and Kyungsoo and Jongin turn to look at Chanyeol in confusion while the man next to Jongdae sighs and brings a hand down his face.

Several introductions later, and with Kyungsoo laughing amusedly at Jongdae’s shock at running into them at the aquarium, of all places, Chanyeol finds that the man with Jongdae is Minseok, an older student at the university they all attend. Jongdae is popular with the children, Chanyeol also finds, as he plays tag with Soojin and Sehun by ducking between the rest of them and dodging the children’s hands. It’s funny how similar he and Puppy are in some aspects.

“Is he okay, by the way,” Chanyeol asks when he and Jongdae fall a bit behind everyone else. “I haven't seen him properly since Doyoon. No problems with the ex or anything?”

Jongdae seems surprised at this, and he frowns, tilting his head. “He’s fine now. It’s not like he still has feelings for Doyoon, it just brought up bad memories.”

Chanyeol hums, relieved, but it's still disconcerting to not know Puppy's state, to be unsure whether he's actually taking care of himself. He shakes the feeling off though, sure that Jongdae and Minseok wouldn't let the boy rot all alone.

“I feel strange knowing your name while Puppy doesn’t,” Jongdae says after a while with a lighter expression on his face, picking Soojin up in his arms when he notices her trailing behind, and Chanyeol raises a brow.

“Are you really going to call him Puppy in front of me?”

“I don’t have any other nicknames for him besides asshole,” Jongdae says bluntly, and Chanyeol snorts out a laugh.

“You should tell him soon though,” Jongdae muses, less joking now. “I think he’s getting impatient too.”

Chanyeol looks down at the younger man for a moment before he chuckles, rubbing the back of his head. It’s hard to describe what’s going through his head, a mix of doubts and anxiety yet filled with a familiar flutter in his chest, a feeling he’s only ever experienced like this with one other person. Who he also happens to have broken up with years ago. It’s something that terrifies him when he thinks that it might also happen to him and Puppy if they ever acted on their feelings. “We’ll see.”

 

  
It’s a while before Baekhyun sees Loey again, with all the final papers and projects that he has to turn in, and he’s never been more grateful for winter break.

“The end of the year,” he sings to Jongdae, letting himself fall into his best friend’s arms dramatically after he’s turned his music theory paper in to his teacher. “We’re gonna be juniors in March, Jongdae-yah!”

Minseok is laughing at their antics, shaking his head fondly when Jongdae tries and fails to shake Baekhyun off as they walk towards their designated celebration cafe.

It’s not as busy as it normally is - with students still turning in research papers or taking their finals in STEM courses, and Baekhyun brightens when he walks in and sees his favorite table available, waving briefly to Jongin behind the counter as he skips his way there.

“Aren’t you a bit too excited,” they hear and Baekhyun only laughs at Luhan.

“I’m in the best mood I’ve been in the past _month_ ,” Baekhyun says, shoving at the older man playfully. “Let me enjoy my newfound freedom.”

Luhan rolls his eyes as he hugs Minseok and Jongdae in turn, and he turns to Minseok with a sharp, teasing grin. “Are you ready to join the old club? You’re graduating in February.”

Minseok raises his brows and subtly kicks Luhan’s shin. “And? You’re a year older than me, dumbass.”

Jongdae hides his snicker with his fist and a cough, but his quiet laughter dies down when he looks up, eyes widening slightly. Turning to follow the younger's gaze, Baekhyun barely has time to recognize the man standing by the cafe door before he nearly tumbles over from the sudden grip around his legs.

“Puppy!” Sehun shouts gleefully, and Baekhyun can't help but laugh as he crouches down and picks him up. Strangely enough, Sehun also seems to recognize Jongdae and Minseok, as he claps and smiles at them. “Mister Dino and Mister Hoppang are here too!”

Baekhyun turns to the two men in question, raising his brows. “Dino? Hoppang?”

“Sehun gave them nicknames when we saw them at the aquarium,” Loey says when he nears them, a sheepish little smile on his face. “Dino and Hoppang stuck, apparently.”

Jongdae shrugs. “I don't mind Dino,” he says, cooing just a moment later as he rubs Sehun's cheeks, and Baekhyun makes an affronted noise and slaps Jongdae's hands away.

“You don't get to do that! Sehun has to remain pure and clean!”

“Like you're any better!”

Loey and Minseok are looking at them with amused little smiles, clearly not sure whether to tell them to keep quiet for the few other customers, but Jongin beats them to it. “Shut the fuck up,” the baker says as he comes over, dragging Luhan back to the counter with a grip on his arm. “Be quiet or I'm really going to kick you out.”

 

  
“I think I’ve reached the sharing names stage by now,” Baekhyun hears behind him, smiling a bit when he sees Loey coming towards him with two cups of coffee in his large hands.

“Yeah?” Baekhyun plays along, teasing, as he takes his cup from the older man and sips the mild americano with relish. When had the man memorized his coffee order? Or maybe it was just a gut feeling? “Who says?”

Loey snorts. “Sehun. Who else?”

“Is he getting tired of you calling me Mister Puppy?”

“No,” Loey shakes his head, and Baekhyun blinks at his fluffy black hair, wonders when he should dye his own silver hair back to its original color. “He loves the name. But he says I look strange saying it because it doesn’t suit me.”

“It really doesn’t.”

Loey huffs, but his eyes are amused when he turns to Baekhyun. “By the way, do you call me Loey?”

Baekhyun stares at him. “What? Who told you that?”

The reaction seems to make Loey doubt the truth of the statement, and he brings a nervous hand to the back of his neck. “Jongdae. But -”

“Does he really expose me like that when I’m not there?” Baekhyun interrupts, puffing his cheeks out. “This is betrayal.”

Loey laughs out loud. “Is it because Sehun calls me that?”

Baekhyun’s cheeks are red, he knows, but he hopes the wind is good enough an excuse for them. “Yeah, I heard him call you that once and it stuck.”

“It’s because he couldn’t pronounce my name at all when he was younger,” Loey says as explanation, leaning back on his hands. “He heard Jongin calling me Chanyeollie and messed up the ending. So I became Loey, to him.”

It takes a moment, but Baekhyun realizes with his heart stuttering in his chest that Loey - Chanyeol just told him his name. It's kind and gentle, just like him, and Baekhyun also realizes that now, it's up to him to respond.

He wonders if Jongdae is right about what he tells Baekhyun almost every day, that not all his relationships will be doomed. He can’t imagine Loey being anything like the demons he’d stayed with for far too long, but there’s still the fear there, the possibility that they’ll end up hating each other and really? That would break him even more than if his crush was unrequited.

“Byun Baekhyun,” he says softly, and maybe it’s his hesitance, the slight uncertainty in his voice, but Chanyeol seems to recognize it for truth, and he whips around to stare at Baekhyun with wide eyes.

Baekhyun isn’t sure that this was the right choice. He knows he gets attached too easily, knows that this is the reason he hadn’t told Chanyeol his name, afraid that their distant meetings and small moments together would fade sooner or later and knowing that it would be easier to forget Chanyeol and Sehun if he kept himself further away. But something in Chanyeol's eyes as he looked at Baekhyun hopefully, the way he’d smiled so brightly when he sat down on the bench next to him, and Baekhyun was telling him his name without really thinking of what would come next.

Eventually the shock wears off, and the surprise in the older man’s eyes is replaced with such genuine happiness and relief that Baekhyun can’t find it in himself to regret it much at all. It seems fitting, in a way, that they’re doing this at the place they first met.

“Byun Baekhyun,” Chanyeol says, almost in awe. He smiles beautifully at him. “Nice to meet you, Baekhyun.”

Baekhyun laughs. “Nice to meet you too, Chanyeol.”

 

  
Jongdae notices Chanyeol first, and the older man still has no idea how - the bar had been full when he walked in, crowded to the point where someone was constantly bumping into another being, so when he hears someone calling his name, the last thing he'd expected was Baekhyun's best friend beckoning him to them with slight hysteria in his eyes.

When he gets to them, Jongdae's attention is already off him, focused instead on the man leaning on the countertop, and Chanyeol blinks at the slumped figure next to Jongdae, someone he hadn't seen from across the room.

“Fuck you,” Jongdae hisses, “Luhan what did you _give_ him?”

Luhan ignores him pointedly and turns to Chanyeol, clapping his hands together once with a bright smile. “Perfect timing, Yeollie. Did you get what I asked for?”

Chanyeol passes over the plastic bag in his hands with a wry look at Luhan. “Here's your film.” He grimaces as he looks down again at Baekhyun, still unmoving. “Did you poison him?”

At this Luhan peers down at Baekhyun, before shaking his head and smiling again beautifully. “What _ever_ are you talking about? It's not my fault he can't handle alcohol for shit.”

“Then why'd you let him drink anything at all,” Jongdae spits at Luhan. He looks ready to tear his hair out. “Minseok is gonna kill you tomorrow and I'm not going to defend your sorry ass.”

“I’m not sorry though?”

Chanyeol snickers as Jongdae looks at Luhan, all sorts tired and exasperated. “ _Luhan!_ ”

“Minseok loves me, and he’s a weakass sucker for you, so just put in a good word for me and I’ll be fine.” Luhan waves Jongdae away. “Besides, I didn't give him anything, he’s the one that ordered before I could come and stop him.”

Amusing as this is, Chanyeol has his child over at someone else's house and a warm house of his own to get to.

“I'll just take him home right now,” Chanyeol offers, and two heads swivel towards him. Jongdae, as much as he’d looked like he would have killed to get out of the situation just moments ago, now looks hesitant, the scowl on his face softening.

“Are you sure?” He asks, frowning. “Baekhyun gets a bit -”

“No, let him,” Luhan interjects, the smile on his face smaller and more mischievous, teasing. “It’ll be interesting what we hear tomorrow.”

Chanyeol shoots the older boy a look as he takes one of Baekhyun's arms and slings it around his own shoulders, letting the younger slump against him as he pulls them both to their feet.

“Come on,” Chanyeol says softly, getting Baekhyun’s eyes to open blearily, ignoring Luhan's cackles behind them and Jongdae's mortified pleads for him to stop. “Let's get you home.”

Baekhyun nods against Chanyeol's collarbone, the hand not around Chanyeol's shoulder coming to grip his jacket, and Chanyeol also tries his best to ignore the red flush traveling across his cheeks.

“Why'd you drink so much if you know you can't handle it,” Chanyeol mutters, dragging them both out the bar and trudging in the direction of their small circle of apartments a few blocks over. It's when Baekhyun starts swaying, clearly lightheaded, that Chanyeol stops, tired from the now ten minute walk, thinking that maybe carrying Baekhyun would be easier.

It is - much easier, actually, seeing as Baekhyun is lighter than most of the things Chanyeol lifts in the gym, or maybe it's just adrenaline. The younger’s breath warms his collarbones, and Chanyeol yelps in surprise when Baekhyun’s arms come up to circle around his neck, pressing them closer together.

“You’re so warm,” the smaller mumbles into Chanyeol’s scarf, and Chanyeol almost laughs at how _Baekhyun_ this situation is, somehow conscious enough to talk but not to stand up on his own.

“Maybe you’d be too if you wore something more than sweaters in the middle of the winter.”

“It’s almost April though!”

“Still cold.”

Baekhyun falls silent at that for a moment, but then he inhales deeply, enough for Chanyeol to feel the intake of air as it leaves a cold spot under his chin.

“You smell nice,” Baekhyun slurs, and Chanyeol hates himself for wanting to kiss the curl of his lips, gentle and etched across his features almost like a painting.

“Yeah?” Chanyeol almost laughs. “What do I smell like?”

It takes a long time for Baekhyun to respond, and Chanyeol thinks for a while that he won’t say anything, another one of his one-sided drunk thoughts, but then Baekhyun hums happily into his chest, still holding onto Chanyeol’s neck comfortably.

“You smell like home.”

Chanyeol barely has time to blink away the surprise in his eyes when Baekhyun looks up at him suddenly, smiling beautifully amidst his drunk haze. “Real nice, you know?”

Chanyeol can’t breathe properly, but he forces a choked laugh from his throat anyway.

“Yeah, nice.”

 

  
His brother’s wedding is planned to be a quiet affair, between close relatives only. Baekhyun loves his brother, he does, but he also wishes he could get over with this as quickly as possible. Because really, despite Baekbeom and Ara’s well wishes and warm welcomes, Baekhyun knows that something else will come, with the members of his family that haven’t showed up in his face yet.

For now though, he tries distracting himself with the soft white decorating the entire room, ivy unfurling over the walls, white flowers dangling in long ribbons from the ceilings and a short waterfall gurgling in the back. The splashes at end of the waterfall are greeted with a small pool made of large rocks and the occasional smoother stone to fill the gaps, water rippling across its surface. It's beautiful, Baekhyun thinks, worthy of his brother and Ara, their compassion and lovely nature all too clear in the space.

Next to him, Jongdae and Minseok are disgustingly domestic, Minseok’s eyes going fond at Jongdae’s excitement and warm laughter, Jongdae’s wide grins softening into the gentlest smiles whenever Minseok tells him something in hushed tones, a secret only they know.

Of course, the quiet peace doesn't last long. Baekhyun knows that they've come when Jongdae and Minseok stiffen beside him, Jongdae's fingers curling into his wrist in a firm, gentle grasp.

“I'm fine,” he assures Minseok quietly when the eldest of them gives him a worried glance, the hand that had been around Jongdae's waist slipping into Baekhyun's and giving it a gentle squeeze. He isn't, and Minseok and Jongdae know that. Yet, they also know that he’s capable of gauging his own capabilities to deal with a situation, and seem to trust him enough with this.

“I told your brother not to invite you,” Baekhyun's father says in disdain when he nears them, nose turning up and eyes narrowing. “Said it would sour everyone's moods. Clearly he didn't listen.”

Baekhyun's mother, at least, is silent, watching him with a hesitant, remorseful gaze as she lets her husband lead her away.

“A disgrace to our family,” Baekhyun hears him mutter even when they've passed, “Studying something as worthless as music is one thing but being a queer, and having other influences like that around him?”

Jongdae’s expression is filled with sorrow and unspoken apologies when he turns back to Baekhyun, but Baekhyun shakes his head. He doesn’t want to ruin what’s supposed to be the happiest day of his brother’s life, all because of a few pointed words by a man he no longer considers family, though - it still hurts.

“Hey, it’ll be fine,” Minseok murmurs, and Baekhyun smiles. “We’ll cover for you if need be, so you can just relax for now.”

All he wants right now is to relax, truly, let his mind wander and listen to anything that will make him feel better. Take his mind off this mess. Hope and pray that his parents don’t show up again in front of him and upset his brother on his big day. A distraction. Anything.

But then.

Baekhyun hears them before he sees them, the soft pads of small feet followed by a deeper ring, and suddenly Sehun’s little face is peering up at his own, clearly seeing the sadness in Baekhyun’s expression because the boy’s bright, big eyes fall and his chubby hands reach out to him to hug his legs.

And all of a sudden, tears he hadn’t known were lurking seem dangerously close to falling.

“Puppy sad?”

Baekhyun gazes at the boy in wonder. “Sehun,” he breathes, not even bothering to question why he's here as he thanks the gods and heavens above for this beautiful child, and a small smile immediately manages to brighten up his face slightly. “No, I’m fine, Sehun. I’m fine.”

“You don't look it,” a deep voice says gently, and Baekhyun looks up to see Chanyeol staring down at him with such gentle, soft eyes that Baekhyun thinks he'll break.

He's not really thinking properly when he stands, falling into the taller man as he catches Baekhyun effortlessly, almost like he'd been expecting it, _waiting_ for it, caging Baekhyun into his warm, big embrace and his arms circling around his waist. He knows that Jongdae and Minseok are still here, that Sehun is watching them from below, maybe even that his parents have noticed from wherever they’re sitting, but he can't really bring himself to care much either, letting himself lean further into the arms around him.

“How,” he asks breathlessly when he leans back, but Chanyeol has his arms locked around Baekhyun’s waist and it stops him from moving away completely, leaving Baekhyun no choice but to hang onto his neck with his cheeks flushed pink.

“Your annoying little bird there forced me to come,” Chanyeol chuckles out, a rumble Baekhyun feels within the chest pressed so close to his own. “But I’m glad he managed to convince me.”

Jongdae and Minseok, on the other hand, are smiling knowingly at them, and Baekhyun would have normally said something about it, told them to turn around, but today he only laughs softly, feeling so much better already with the angelic people around him.

  


  
Chanyeol finds it amusing how similar Baekbeom and Baekhyun are, despite the older’s broader, bigger frame, and Baekhyun’s lack of stereotypically defined masculine traits. They’re both so _warm_ , for one - their smiles so bright and beautiful, and the two also have the same ability to make the people around them laugh so naturally.

It’s a side of Baekhyun that Chanyeol hasn’t seen before, another part of the younger man that had been hidden in their brief interactions during the middle of the night. Yet, it’s enthralling; he wants to memorize the shape of Baekhyun’s mouth when he breaks into his loud, pealing laughter, the crescent of his eyes when he smiles so brightly, remember the warmth and the fondness engraved in Baekhyun’s doting behavior towards his brother - voice soft and teasing and gentle smiles sent in Ara’s direction.

“Come on,” Baekhyun says once everyone’s settled. He’d styled his hair for today, but the gel had worn out quite some time ago. Now, his dirty blonde hair is messy, hanging loosely over his forehead. It matches all too well with his subtle, muted gray eyeliner. He looks beautiful. “There’s cake, I’m sure Sehun would like some.”

Chanyeol can only smile at him, and Baekhyun’s eyes widen at Chanyeol’s soft expression, a small flush settling on his cheeks. He’s too adorable, Chanyeol thinks. “Yeah.”

 

  
The next time they meet, Baekhyun is looking up at the cloudy sky with a quiet sort of wonder in his eyes. He does that a lot, often just staring up to the heavens, and while Chanyeol doesn’t know what he sees there, he also doesn’t really want to disrupt the moment.

Except Baekhyun seems to feel the pair of eyes on him and he turns, smiling when he notices Chanyeol down the street.

Nearing him, Chanyeol can see the earbuds that Baekhyun has in his ears, taking one out as he pauses his music and looks to greet Chanyeol properly.

“Hey,” the younger calls out first, and Chanyeol can’t help but smile back at him.

“Hey yourself,” he says softly as he takes a seat next to Baekhyun on the bench.

 

  
To say Chanyeol is surprised that Baekhyun is here, at Sehun's birthday party, would be an understatement. He’d been shocked enough to see his sister come, despite her busy schedules as a reporter, but when Baekhyun walked through the door, still unbelievably underdressed for the weather, cheeks flushed and eyes bright and black hair tousled from the wind outside, he’d done nothing but stare.

“You look so in love it’s pathetic,” Yifan deadpans as he passes by, balancing a tray of macarons and cake slices in one hand, pausing to stand next to Chanyeol and watch as Baekhyun laughs and greets Junmyeon and Minseok, melodious voice drifting through the apartment. “He really is cute. If you don't make a move on him I’ll do it for you.”

“Thank you for your kindness,” Chanyeol says drily, but he can't disagree with Yifan - Baekhyun looks really cute, wearing an oversized, loose knitted sweater with the front tucked into his jeans, eyes sparkling as he crouches down at Sehun's enthusiastic attempts to show him something, and Chanyeol blinks when he realizes Baekhyun is wearing the maroon scarf from months ago.

He doesn't have time to dwell on it because Yifan is excusing himself to go back in the kitchen, and Yoora is sliding into Yifan’s place with a raised eyebrow and knowing smile.

“You're going to lose him to someone else at this rate, I hope you know that,” Yoora says softly. “He's much too bright not to be noticed by others.”

Chanyeol doesn't know why everyone is choosing to attack him at his son's party, but he manages to scoff in response to Yoora’s teasing. “Such faith in me.”

“Lack of,” Yoora corrects, and Chanyeol shoots her a look. “Really though, you should do something. According to the others, it’s been a while since you've fallen for him. I mean, it’s obvious enough by now and I’ve only been here for half an hour.”

“And you say that with such confidence because…”

“Because I know you, you idiot,” Yoora laughs. “And it's the first time I've ever seen you look at anyone like this.”

That makes Chanyeol pause, and he turns to look up at Yoora’s gentler smile.

“What?”

“You’ve never looked at anyone the way you look at him,” Yoora repeats, rolling her eyes a little despite her fond tone.

Chanyeol falters. “Not even…”

Yoora shakes her head. “You always seemed like a puppy when it came to her. But you seem more,” she pauses, brows furrowed in thought, “I don’t know how to explain it. It’s almost like you’re more _alive_ with him. You’re radiant. And you look the happiest I’ve seen you in years.”

“You’re not a psychiatrist,” Chanyeol says weakly, but Yoora laughs at his expression and waves him off.

“You’re just being an idiot.”

“You -”

Whatever Chanyeol’s about to say dies from his throat when he looks back at Baekhyun and realizes that the younger man is already looking at him, head tilted in silent question as he holds Sehun in his arms. Yoora snickers next to him when Chanyeol freezes at Baekhyun’s gaze, stiffening all the more when the man starts towards him.

“Go get ‘em, tiger.”

Yoora leaves before Chanyeol can kick her.

“Are you alright,” is the first thing Baekhyun says to him when he’s near enough, shifting Sehun in his hold. “You look shaken.”

Chanyeol blinks rapidly before turning to face Baekhyun, not fully prepared to be met with two bright, inquisitive pairs of eyes. Sehun does really look similar to Baekhyun, Chanyeol laments, despite having Chanyeol’s mouth and eyes, or maybe it’s just the man’s behavior and actions that had rubbed off on his son.

“I’m fine,” he says, smiling a bit to try convincing Baekhyun, but Baekhyun looks unimpressed.

“I’ll be in the kitchen with Kyungsoo and Jongdae if you need me,” Baekhyun says, handing Sehun over to Chanyeol. Chanyeol takes the child without a second thought, not fully registering Baekhyun’s words until he’s watching the younger walk away. “I left Sehun’s gift by the small table near your staircase.”

Chanyeol only stares dumbly after him.

They don’t actually talk until much later into the party, Baekhyun spending his time in the kitchen with Kyungsoo and Jongdae, making the meals for everyone present, and Chanyeol with his hands full from Sehun’s constant demands for cake.

“Honey,” Chanyeol pleads, taking Sehun’s small hands into his own as he looks up into his son’s face, “You can have all the cake you want, but after eating dinner. Okay?”

And that’s also how Baekhyun finds them, Chanyeol kneeling in front of the stairs with Sehun sitting on the third step, pouting with his cheeks puffed out. The man laughs at the sight. But when Chanyeol turns to glare, Baekhyun is already next to him, and suddenly his face is too close, his scent hitting him too fast too hard, and once again all he can do is stare. Somewhere in the back of his head, Chanyeol thinks he can count every eyelash, and he feels so foolish for being so in love.

“Did you want cake, my little prince,” Baekhyun coos, reaching out to cup Sehun’s cheeks, and the now five year old nods, pout still in place. “Listen to me, I’ll steal you all the cake, but before that you need to make sure your tummy is full. So it won’t go boom from the cake.”

“Tummy go boom from cake?” Sehun repeats Baekhyun’s words with a confused little voice, rubbing his round stomach, and Baekhyun smiles, eyes turning up in those beautiful moons of happiness and adoration.

“Yes, if you eat too much cake by itself, tummy hurt and go boom boom.”

Sehun seems to pause at this, finally accepting that he won’t be getting the cake he so desires until after dinner, and stretches his arms out in a demand to be held, because he deserves at least that much when he doesn’t have cake even though he wants cake and the two grown men in front of him are keeping it away from him. Chanyeol just stares at Baekhyun’s sorcery, mouth agape.

“You know, you’re doing a lot of opening your mouth today but none of it is for talking,” Baekhyun says as they walk back to the living room. “Are you sure there’s nothing wrong?”

Chanyeol gulps down the bile in his mouth and nods, taking longer strides to keep up with Baekhyun’s brisk pace. Baekhyun isn't convinced, clearly, but he doesn't say anything. Before Chanyeol can even think of a possible response, they’ve reached the living room, and Baekhyun’s leaving Sehun next to Chanyeol to disappear back into the kitchen.

Dinner passes without much fanfare, and Chanyeol finds that he can’t take his eyes away from Baekhyun even if he tries, watching the boy annoy Kyungsoo subtly and laughing when the older boy threatens to kick him out of the party, smiling at Luhan’s antics, going along with Junmyeon’s terrible, terrible jokes.

He only actually takes his attention off him when they’re done eating, Sehun shouting gleefully next to him as he makes grabby hands for the cake he’s been waiting for the past two hours.

“Sehun can have cake now!”

And seeing Baekhyun’s eyes light up, eyes forming small crescents as he feeds Sehun his chocolate cake, Chanyeol chuckles, laughing at himself and their unnecessary complications.

 

  
The last traces of winter had disappeared along with the few leftover cold bursts, and Baekhyun revels in the warmer weather. May comes with thunderstorms and gradual warmth, flowers blooming around them as green flourishes in the trees, the land.

Baekhyun’s birthday comes and goes in a more quiet affair. University keeps Baekhyun busy enough that he almost forgets about it altogether, but gifts from all his friends make him realize that - wow, he’s old, he’s twenty-two now.

And he’d have been lying if he said he wasn’t hoping to see Chanyeol near the bench they always meet at, a lump in his arms that gives away Sehun’s location. He’s wearing simple jeans, plain white shirt under a pale blue button-up, but his silhouette is tall and handsome against the blossoming green of spring, and a voice that sounds a lot like Jongdae’s taunts him for being so stupid and head over heels.

Sehun is the one that notices him first when he gets closer, perking up in his dad’s arms and making grabby motions for Baekhyun. He laughs at the boy’s eagerness and plucks him straight from Chanyeol, rubbing his nose with Sehun’s as the child laughs in delight.

“My little prince,” Baekhyun says, smiling. “How have you been?”

“Are you just ignoring me for my son now?” Chanyeol asks, and scoffs in mock offense when Baekhyun doesn’t spare a glance at him.

Sehun giggles.

After a while, Chanyeol tells him that Sehun had prepared a party for him, and Baekhyun finds that by “party,” Chanyeol had meant a mess of uncoordinated streamers and a cake sitting in the middle of the kitchen table, but he’s endeared nevertheless. Rubbing over Sehun’s cheeks, Baekhyun thanks the toddler, telling him it’s the best birthday gift he’d ever received, and Sehun’s laughs are worth everything. He pretends not to notice Chanyeol’s soft, tender gaze throughout the night.

\-------

Despite being his birthday and therefore having no obligation to do so, Baekhyun stays behind to help clean up, and Chanyeol suddenly feels that much more grateful for his presence in the dark of the night, the clock on the far end of the living room hitting 12 with both its hands. He’s sure he’d have given up and went to sleep if it hadn’t been for the younger flitting around his small apartment, throwing things in the trash and storing leftovers in the fridge and giving Chanyeol something to keep his mind on.

Today is one of those days when Sehun had been too energetic and excited to fall asleep at his normal sleep time, somehow pushing through until he just couldn’t anymore. Chanyeol is bested by his son on most days, but when it happens like this - hours upon hours of Sehun’s eagerness on end, it's a whole other level of exhausting.  


“You should take Sehun up to his room,” Baekhyun says sometime later, and Chanyeol looks to the couch to see Sehun curled up in his blanket, head resting on Baekhyun’s lap as the boy strokes his fingers through his hair.

Chanyeol’s heart hurts at the sight, and for a moment he wants nothing more than to scoop the both of them in his arms and stay that way for the rest of the night.

“Yeah,” he says instead, walking over to take Sehun in his arms gently, but then one of Sehun’s hands reaches out and grabs Baekhyun’s finger, and they blink, looking at each other in surprise before a sly smile takes over Baekhyun’s lips.

“Seems he likes me more than you.”

“He’s been ready to throw me out for you since the day he saw you,” Chanyeol grumbles, waiting for Baekhyun to stand up and get dragged along by Sehun’s grasp.

Baekhyun’s soft laughter sets Chanyeol’s mind at ease, but even after they’ve tucked Sehun into bed, the warnings everyone had given him for the past few months stick in his head, Chanyeol realizes too late, in the comfort of the dark apartment, that maybe he’s been taking advantage of Baekhyun’s obliviousness to his own beauty a bit too much.

Because Yoora is right - Baekhyun is much too bright to go unnoticed by others, and Chanyeol can only imagine what goes on in Baekhyun’s life outside their small interactions.

Baekhyun’s disappointed voice is what snaps him out of his reverie.

“You’ve been out of it since Sehun's birthday,” Baekhyun says, something more in his tone - concern? “Will you really not tell me anything?”

Chanyeol stares. “I -” and pauses. Right now, bathed in silver moonlight, Baekhyun looks absolutely radiant, ethereal. He doesn’t want to lose Baekhyun, Chanyeol realizes. No matter what happens to their relationship, no matter what fights, what heartbreak they go through. He wants this with Baekhyun.  


Any other thought he’d had in his mind flies out the window when he leans over, impulse and stupidity taking over as he cups Baekhyun’s cheek and pulls him into a kiss. The younger stumbles slightly but Chanyeol’s movements are reciprocated quickly, Baekhyun’s hands coming up to circle around his neck as Chanyeol grips his waist, then his nape, pulling him up so he can deepen the kiss.

It gets desperate and heated in the span of seconds, every conversation, every glance they’d ever shared finally coming to an end point now, and Chanyeol wants to keep Baekhyun in his arms forever. He thinks this as he maps out Baekhyun’s soft, chapped lips with his own, brushes his fingers over the small set of moles near his mouth, runs his fingers through impossibly soft hair, realizes too late that he’d wanted to do this for a long time now.

Their breaths are heavy when they pull away, Chanyeol’s eyes hooded and Baekhyun’s startled and dazed, and Chanyeol presses a gentle, lingering kiss to Baekhyun’s mouth one last time before he rests his forehead against the younger’s.

“I’m sorry it took so long.”

Baekhyun’s eyes are sparkling again, and Chanyeol feels so, so stupid. “Long enough, you oaf.”

 

  
Baekhyun wakes with warm arms around his waist, startling when he realizes that he’s in someone’s embrace, surrounded by what he recognizes quickly as Chanyeol’s scent.

Chanyeol seems to wake up soon enough after him, the arm resting around Baekhyun lifting as the man ruffles his messy hair, voice hoarse and sleep-ridden when he speaks. “Did you sleep well?”

Unable to help it, Baekhyun laughs, leaning forwards and resting his head on Chanyeol’s collar as the man struggles to gain his consciousness. “Your couch is comfortable.”

“Ah, I’m sorry -” Baekhyun doesn’t have to look to know that Chanyeol is grimacing, and the thought only makes him smile more. “I should have brought you to my room. It wasn’t too uncomfortable or anything?”

“No,” Baekhyun responds brightly, leaving a quick kiss on Chanyeol’s head before he pries himself out of the man’s grasp and takes his hands, trying to pull him up from the couch to no avail. “We have to go check up on Sehun, come on. It’s nine already.”

Sighing, Chanyeol just yanks a bit harder on his arms, and Baekhyun finds himself falling, too late to stop his momentum when Chanyeol drags him down to lay beside him, wrapping his long arms around him to keep him from standing again. “It’s way too early for this.”

“It’s nine, Chanyeol. And Sehun -”

“He’ll come down when he’s hungry,” Chanyeol mumbles into the back of his shirt, and Baekhyun lets him have his way for now, unable to move much at all anyway. Sure enough, not ten minutes later he hears a distant shout, a demand for breakfast, and watches in fascination as Sehun comes into the living room, dragging his blanket with him, bed hair as bad as his father’s.

“Puppy,” he exclaims suddenly, when he realizes Baekhyun is there, hunger and his precious blanket forgotten as he runs towards him. Groaning in defeat, Chanyeol also sits up, though his eyes are fond when Baekhyun scoops Sehun into his arms and bounces him a little in his lap.

“Puppy stay,” Sehun says happily, and Baekhyun laughs and presses a small kiss to the boy’s cheek.

“Yeah, I’ll be staying for a while now.”  


**Author's Note:**

> i think i wrote this imagining their age difference to be maybe four or five years - which is why i didn't have a tag for it. four or five years isn't that big... right?
> 
> parents chanbaek and kid sehun has become such an iconic trope in the exo fandom but i hope this one didn't disappoint.
> 
> this is completely beta'd by NoOneFrUKingCares go check them out ily for keeping me relatively sane


End file.
